


Evening at Doctor Scratch's Mansion.

by godlessAdversary



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Lil Hal is Doc Scratch, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-01 02:07:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4001833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godlessAdversary/pseuds/godlessAdversary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose is invited to her teacher's mansion, but she doesn't know that he has dark secrets... or does she know? This is going to be a weird psychological thriller.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Welcome  to the Felt Mansion, Ms. Lalonde.” Said a young Asian girl in the entrance. “Dr. Scratch is waiting for you in his office.”

You followed the girl through the green colored interior of the creepy mansion full of clocks. Who needed so many clocks anyway? You think keeping too many clocks is a sign of of an obsessive compulsive disorder related to keeping everything in schedule. You aren’t surprised because Dr. Scratch is always such an schedule maniac that would have a good time with that creepy clock from Don’t Hug Me I am Scared. You should remember not to watch any of the videos Dave’s Bro sends everyone.

“Dr. Scratch, Ms. Lalonde is here.”

You see in big old styled office the old man that has caused too many problems writing in a typewriter. He gets up from his chair and approached you.

“Good evening, dear Rose. You come just in time for our tea party.”

“I am surprised you organized this evening even if I was probably going to decline.”

“Well, it seems that way, but you choice was something already foreseen thanks to many logical facts, so I just predicted what would happen. I am always prepared.”

“It is true that today you didn’t give any homeworks, and tomorrow is Saturday, but even if nothing stopped me from coming I still could have said no.”

“Yes, but your presence here demonstrates that everything is fated to happen by simple causality. Even with free will, everything in the universe is destined to happen by simple laws. Anyway, I am sure you didn’t  came here for talking abut philosophy. We have matters to attend while the tea is hot. Damara, can you bring us the tea?”

 

The next few minutes are a bit awkward while a track from Eddy Morton’s “I am a Member of the Midnight Crew” is playing during the wait for the tea. The young handmaid arrives with an old English teapot and teacups. Rose notices in the face of the girl what she thinks is a mix of sadness and anger.

“Thanks, Damara. You can return to your other duties and then to your room. We have an important visitor tonight and I want to have everything ready.”

The handmaid walks away while saying what Rose thinks is some form of Japanese cursing.

“How old is she?”

“13 years old. I just remember when I found in an orphanage many where the kids were abandoned by humanity. She has been my protegee since then, and is learning what I need for the future.”

Even with his charismatic tone of voice and that you know he is telling the truth, you know he always hide information that is dangerous for his motives. You know he is looking at the poor girl’s hips moving while she walks.

“Anyway, Dr. Scratch…”

“Calll me Hal.”

“I wanted to talk about a series of incidents tha happened to my classmates this week.”

“There are many students with many problems, would you be more specific about someone?”

“Well, we can start with Vriska Serket AKA the HUGE BITCH.”


	2. When the Doctor smashed a spider.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vriska Serket could have been the best if she had learned that lying to the king of liars was a big mistake.

“What about, Ms. Serket? Also, it seems you don’t have problems insulting her. I thought you two are friends.”

“Being friends doesn’t change that she really is a bitch.”

You know that Vriska is infamous in your school because she has broken many rules and hurt many people. This semester she got in problems for apparently cheating on the exams (you know she didn’t cheated because she is a genius, but she got the answers and sold them to her friends), made a rave party in her house (where Dave and Karkat got so drunk they made out and she uploaded the photos to her “Vriskagram”), and she bullied the crippled kid, Tavros (like she has always done since elementary school). She also has a terrible love life: she has dated Eridan, Tavros, Karkat, and she tried to flirt with the foreign student Arquius. Well, not so terrible love life if you count your best friend, John Egbert.

_“Is that what I think it is?”_

_“Fuck off, Lalonde!”_

_“Well, it seems it is true. Vriska “I don’t need a man” Serket is holding a love letter.”_

_“He is just a dumb kid I help with tutoring. The idiot fell for me.”_

_“Really?” You snach the letter._

_“Hey!!!!!!!!”_

_You immediately recognize the writing style, the cheasy movie references and the blue ink.”_

_“You and John?!”_

 

 

“Well, it is true that she is an impulsive individual, but she is still a remarkable student when solving the most complex mathematical problems.”

“Indeed. She is a genius in her own way, but her impulsiveness is the reason I am here. I know from her that you tow always have chess matches regularly.”

“It is true. Since the day she solved the university level problems I brought for checking the level of the students she has been attending here for talking about games and such. Chess is one of the many games we played.”

“So you two played other games?” you ask with curiosity regarding what happened previous to the incident.

“I know what you are thinking, Rose, but there was nothing between us, except for a game. We talked about strategies of how to control people as variables of a big game. If you know how to push people into doing certain actions you can master the game as long as no irrational elements or elements form the exterior change the conditions. I tried to teach her, but we know how overemotional she is. Her emotions are the reason of every failure against me in every match we had. Her impulsiveness isn’t irrational because it is predictable.”

“I see. So the reason of her tragedy this Tuesday was caused by her impulsiveness?”

“Let’s just say she cheated.”

 

_Vriska’s POV:_

_“This is strange, I never expected you to make that move.” Said the old man._

_“Well, you never expected me to sacrifice my own queen, so it seems I am close to defeating you, old man.”_

_You are really close to beating your enemy and to finally prove you are better than him. Of course you wouldn’t admit that you got a little help from the Japanese girl. She gave you her own analysis of Scratch’s playing style, and obsessive compulsive mannerisms that you could exploit against him. You also are doing what can be called dirty tricks in the world of chess. Victory is close now._

_“Check…”_

_Scratch pushes violently the table aside and approaches you._

_“You!” he hits you in the face with his fist. Once in the floor he kicks you and it hurts so much._

_“Aaahhh!”_

_“You cheated!” he grabs you from your neck and presses his fingers. You can only spit in his face, but that only makes him smile. Then, you kick him in his crotch. The only result is him only throwing you to a wall._

_“You could have been a good student, but I don’t like cheaters. Do you know what I do to cheaters, Ms. Serket?”_

_“So that is your plan?” You say while spiting blood. “To hit me until I can’t defend myself and then rape me you pedophile?!”_

_“Sorry Ms. Serket, but even if I fancy your big breasts and your exquisite lips covered in blue, I must be a logical man and do what is best for me in this scenario. Your punishment is going to be the most appropriate.”_

Rose’s POV:

“The police said that Vriska was found on the side of the road with a smashed eye, a broken arm and some ribs, many bruises, and she almost died if not for a family in a ban that spotted her. She is going to be in the Prospit Hospital for a long time.

“You know there has been a serial killer on the loose recently, Rose?”

“I know, and the brutality applied to her is similar to the one used by the psychopath.”

“So, what is the problem?”

“John called me.”

You can see Dr. Scratch make a small reaction of surprise.

 

_Handmaid’s POV:_

_You open the door and receive an unknown guest._

_“We didn’t expected you, sir.”_

_“Where is that snake?” He pushes you aside and runs to where the Doctor is working. You follow him to see what happens. The Doctor just turns around when he hears the footsteps of the young man._

_“May I help you with some…” The Doctor is punched in his face. For one precious moment you feel… happy. The bliss continues as the bucktoothed boy punches him restlessly._

_“She is my girlfriend, you bastard! You hurt her!”_

_“Don’t” punch “do” punch “this.” And another punch._

_What is a big disappointment is that Scratch is not bleeding or receiving any bruise at all. Then, you hear some big footsteps that the boy is probably too busy to notice. You pray that it isn’t Cans going to say “Oh yeah!”. You really hope it isn’t Cans going to say “Oh yeah!”._

_“Oh yeah!” Cans punches the kid in the face and frees Scratch. What a shame._

 

“John called me from the local police jail saying that the man responsible for brutalizing Vriska threw him into jail with charges of trespassing and aggression. They have enough evidence to detain John for a month, and he can’t prove that the man responsible.”

“Then why does he belives this man is guilty?” Scratch asks with a smile.

“Because he says Vriska told him about someone she played games with.”

You know the old man is involved in this somehow, not just because of John’s testimony, but because of other things that happened in the same week.

“Are you accusing me of something, Rose?”

“I am accusing no one. I am just curious about what happened later with… Kanaya.”

“Oh, Ms. Maryam.” The way he mentions your girlfriend’s last name makes you feel anger and a hate so deep that would scorch the planet. “She is one of my best students, and at difference of Ms. Serket, she wasn’t emotional enough to make big mistakes. In fact, her only problem was that she couldn’t show what she really wanted and just followed orders.”


	3. Destroying Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanaya' sense of duty leads her to a trap.

After Vriska’s incident, Kanaya started acting in a suspicious way. She skipped classes, avoided contacting you, and every time you saw her speaking with Karkat…

_“Kanaya?” you interrupt her conversation with the angry individual that is one of your study subjects._

_“Talk to you later.” She waves at Karkat. “Yes, Rose?”_

_“You have been avoiding me, don’t you?”_

_She looks nervous. She moves her eyes around to avoid any contact with yours, and she plays with her fingers showing some awkwardness. You consider it something grim… and cute._

_“I have been… busy. There are matters to attend that require my full attention.”_

_“I understand that you are busy, but can you tell me why you have been so secretive with your talks with Mr. McShouty?”_

_You know Kanaya and Karkat have been close since kidergarden, and they could be the perfect couple/marriage if not for Kanaya’s sexual orientation and Karkat’s interest in Terezi Pyrope. They haven’t been keeping this level of confidentiality since what happened to Terezi a few months ago._

_“It’s complicate.” She leaves you there with more questions than answers._

 

Doc Scratch is still waiting for you to continue the talk. You should stop spacing out with these flashbacks.

“Well, after Vriska was sent to the hospital, Kanaya started investigating by herself what happened. I think one of her theories is that the criminal responsible for what happened is the infamous psychopath, Gamzee Makara.”

“Yes, he is the kind of person to exercise that level of violence. I remember the case and I know all the details in the police report, but can you answer out of curiosity if you know the way he behaves?”

“He… he hits people with his clown clubs until they die. He is extremely violent”

“You are omitting something. Tell me all the facts you know.”

Remembering the case is horrible enough.

“Sometimes, after a beat up, he rapes the victims he considers attractive. Also, he dismembers the corpses with a butcher’s knife, and he was seen kissing a head.”

“Excellent. Now, would you tell me as a bonus question who was his last victim?”

“…Terezi Pyrope. She survived by stabbing him with a kitchen knife.”

“And how did she got the kitchen knife in the first place?”

You don’t know what is Scratch’s plan, but it seems this little game is turning creepier every time he asks a question.

“He was raping her next to a counter in her family’s kitchen, and she had the opportunity to stab him when he was…”

“That’s all the information I needed to hear from you, Rose.” He says with a smug smile. “Of course, he escaped after being wounded by several stabbings by Ms. Pyrope. If he is still alive, he would continue to torment the people of this town.”

“I suspect she was questioning Karkat about Terezi’s case, or maybe if he had some personal information about Gamzee, since they were best friends. I think it is a big irony that your best friend becomes a serial killer and rapes your girlfriend after beating her with a club.”

“But the story doesn’t end there, right?”

He knows. He fucking knows. Well you already had some suspicions because of what Karkat told you. You wish to beat him to death, but you must play his game and defeat him before anyone else gets harmed.

 

_“Kanaya, are you ok?”_

_She turns to face you, and you can see she has a black eye, and some bruises. She is crying, and it breaks your heart to see your girlfriend like that._

_“Oh my god! Kanaya…”_

_“I was such a fool…” she covers her face with her hands and cries more._

_You hug her and try to calm her with the usual method she taught you through application with Karkat._

 

“I am not surprised she ended that way.” He sips his tea and meditates before talking again. “She is the opposite of Ms. Seket. A person willing to risk her life for others and not for herself. Don’t misunderstand me, I do respect her as a student. Her field of expertise is the solution of conflicts.”

“I know, she has this need to step in the way of two conflicting parties and make them get into an agreement.”

“Natural problem solving talent with an abnormal emotional need to help others just for getting acceptance. She is the perfect mediator. Sadly, she is too perfect for an imperfect world.”

“Did you two played games too?”

“No, she and other student where part of a special class I did during the summer. She helped him, but he never understood. I guess he was doomed by his own irrational believes.”

“Irrational believes?”

“Superiority complex, followed by delusion, and then some form of nihilism.”

You take a cookie from the table and munch eat while thinking about all this new information. You remember something Karkat told you.

_“Listen carefully, Lalonde. Kanaya was investigating the case of Gamzee, but she was just making a cover. She is after Scratch.”_

_“What?”_

_“She suspects Gamzee works with Scratch, and I think she is right. I saw them three years ago dealing drugs in Gamzee’s house, and Gamzee always talked in private with someone through his phone.”_

_“Why would Scratch work with that murderer?”_

_“I don’t know either, but I am sure that fucker isn’t as clean as his suit.”_

 

“Dr. Scratch… I mean Hal, what kind of application would an irrational killer have in a system like the one you described in your “game”?”

“You are now understanding, Rose. You can never control wildcards like him. It is like a war zone, you can’t stop the conflict but you can keep it in contained in an area to reduce damage. Someoen like him can never be manipulated, but you can use his chaos to your benefit.”

You are trying to think about the uses of a psychopath, but your understanding of such minds is limited by known theories.

“He could be used to get rid of certain people.”

“And if he wouldn’t accept your orders? He can accept to kill, but sometimes he wouldn’t obey your specifications.”

Somethings dawns in you. Karkat says Kanaya was taking a cover.

“Someone can blame him for some murder, and make a cover of it.”

“You are solving the puzzle quite well, my violet eye youngster. Now, can you tell me what happened next? I want to know your limits.”

This guy is seriously testing you to see how much of a Sherlock Holmes wannabe you are. You aren’t a genious, you are just a girl that read too many psychology books and writes wizard stories in her free time.

“It is obvious Kanaya’s investigation didn’t work.”

“And?”

“She found too much information and was beaten to avoid talking about the results.”

“That’s not so far from the truth.”

Right now, your heart stopped.

 

_Kanaya’s POV:_

_“It’s over Scratch, I have the evidence of your criminal activities.”_

_“I must congratulate you, Ms. Maryam, for being so clever. All you precautions, and all your clown hunting led you to the source of many atrocious acts of violence. Sadly, your smartness is only weakened by your sense of duty.”_

_You hear a door open behind you._

_“Hello, Kanaya.” You recognize that accent._

_“Eri…” He slaps you in the face, and with a swift move from his leg he makes you fall to the floor._

_“Why?” You ask while trying to get up._

_“You tried to understand and help me, but I just wanted be loved!” He grabs you from  your hair and whispers to your ear “I guess I will never have love, so I will just take what I want by force.”_

_Eridan pushes your face to the floor and puts his weight over your body. Struggle is useless once Eridan punches you in your stomach and knocks you unconscious with a tea pot._

_“That teapot wasn’t chea… Mr… Am…ra…”_

_You wake up briefly, and there’s something weird about this. You are feeling so much pain, like something is hurting you in your lower torso, but you aren’t sure where. Also, you can see in front of you three thugs in green clothes and colorful hats with their hands inside their pants… are they…_

_“Oh my god!” You hear someone shout and… moan “You  feel so nice.”_

_“What the…” You still feel dizzy, but you are getting everthing now._

_Eridan finishes what he was doing and you hear him zip his pants._

_“Wasn’t that a good way of solving a problem, Ms. Maryam?” Scratch is there, watching from his chair. “Now leave, my student. The lesson is over.”_


	4. The Doctor, the Witch and the Clockwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the end.

Scratch told you the ugly truth like it was a casual topic of conversation. Your emotions are telling you to kill him by any means necessary, but your reason tells you that he is planning to do something. He is a complete monster.

“Are you ok, dear Rose?” he asks in an abnormal polite manner. “You haven’t reacted as a normal person would, even if I know you aren’t a normal person.”

“Isn’t that a hypocritical comment from you, Hal? None of what you have described is qualified as good by any moral frame of reference, unless you have some sort of god complex.”

“I never claimed to be a god, but I am quite superior to average humans.” He then sips some tea.

This is it. The climax moment of your conversation. He is waiting for something, and it is not just because he revealed you horrible truths, but also because the clocks around the house are ticking faster. He clearly is an excellent host.

“What is what you intend?” you ask to break the silence.

“It is not what I intend, it is what my master intends.”

“Master?”

“That is irrelevant. Now, I should ask the questions, and they will reveal that you already know the truth.”

You knew it would be hard to get a clear answer from this guy, but you must persist to get over with this.

“Ok.”

“Have you noticed a pattern in my actions?”

“Yes. You manipulate people for your own plans, usually young women.”

“Any explanation for this pattern?”

“You are a creep.”

“Ok, that is a misunderstanding some times. Now, any idea of why I have done everything so far?”

“There are many reasons: money, power and sex. That, or you are a Joker kind of villain.”

The clocks are ticking faster than before, and you can see a big guy carrying a fire extinguisher in the other room.

“Those are logic reasons, but can you answer why I those aren’t the reasons.”

“Because you are a smartass that could topple the government or any international corporation whenever you wanted.”

You remember the time Scratch won the prize for best innovation in industry, and that he owns 11 lands that he uses as horse fields exclusively. He could own the world if he wanted. Then, something hits you hard in your mind, something that was discussed and that you have heard many times.

_“I am worried about Vriska, Rose.”John said to you._

_“Is she consuming drugs or flirting with someone else?”_

_“No! She has been talking about a game she has been playing with Dr. Scratch, and I am worried that her life could be in danger…”_

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_“I am warning you, Lalonde. Stay away, from that pedophile’s business!” Karkat sounds really angry._

_“That guy did something to Kanaya! I can’t let him go unpunished!”_

_“Rose,” Karkat sighed “he will kill you if you try to do something. He is like a dungeon master and we are the afdventurers that he will try to get rid off. He is the one that took away Gamzee’s medicines just to make him a maniac!”_

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_“Life is a game, and you win or lose depending of you play your cards” Kanaya read from a book Scratch gave to her._

_“I thought you preferred gothic novels?”_

_“It is just a Game Theory book recommended by Dr. Scratch for an special assignment.”_

 

 

 

It was all clear now.

“It was all a game.”

“Yes, I just wanted to play a game.”

“Then I shall make my move.”

Scratch open his eyes in surprise as you calmly sip your tea.

An explosion is heard from upstairs.

“The Midnight Crew, right?”

“Karkat’s stepfather is Spades Slick, and he hates you pretty much. I don’t needed to bribe him so much. I just gave him…”

“A map of the place? I knew Kanaya would keep important information with her. Your move has been seen before, Rose. I have taken measures to deal with the Crew.”

More explosions sound upstairs, followed by gun shots. Everything seems be falling apart.

“Now is my turn. I will tell you a fact and it is up to you how you will react.”

“Understood.”

“I am your uncle.”

You weren’t expecting this.

“I knew you were Dirk’s daughter when I saw you for the first time in class, and your prowess at understanding human mind is proof of it.”

“So all you wanted was to test me and see if I am a worthy rival?” Your frown at him. This guy is getting the reaction he wanted, but you are genre savvy enough to keep your composure.

“All I wanted was to be with someone who understood the game, and it seems you are finally playing it.”

“Ok, my turn, uncle Hal.” You put sarcastic tone to that last part.

You take your phone ut and call a number.

“Hear is Cheshire Cat, do you copy Teal Dragon?”

“Teal Dragon is ready, Cheshire Cat” Terezi responds.

“Ms. Pyrope?”

“You never counted that an abused blind girl would do anything? It seems you forgot what you said about Gamzee. You can’t control someone that is unstable.”

An intensifying beep sound comes from outside, and through the window you can see some lights in the darkness. Then, a fast moving truck impacts with the wall, and you run to take cover. The door of the ban opens, and Karkat, Terezi, and Kanaya come out of it, each carrying a sickle, a cane sword and a chainsaw respectively.

“You thought that by breaking us you would stop us!” Said Kanaya, who kicked Scratch in his crotch, making him crawl away from the three angry teenagers.

“You thought that we are toys you can play with?” Terezi stabs Scratch’s leg with her cane sword, prompting a cry of pain.

“You destroyed the lives of my friends just to prove that all is meaningless to you?” Karkat slashed his sickle through Scratch’s face, take some part of his nose with.

Scratch is not crying anymore. He is emotionless, and it is unnatural. Kanaya takes a few steps and chainsaws the leg that has been stabbed.

“Don’t look at me like that. Eridan got it worsts. He can no longer have sex without his lower torso.”

The next scenes are something you don’t want to remember, but your friends got so much fun after dealing with Scratch. Your four left without a trace thanks to Sapdes Slick burning the place.

 

One year later:

The memory from that evening will always torment you, but at least you are free and happy. Kanaya and you are planning to go to college together, and after a few months you will marry. Your mom is crying of happiness everyday just because her baby is walking through the altar.

 

Vriska woke up after a few months, and John is helping her recover. He went out of jail thanks to Terezi’s mom and is working to repay her. Also, it possible Vriska is pregnant of John. Those two can’t get their hands out of each other.

 

Terezi entered law school and is investigating Scratch’s businesses that continue to work without him. That creep is still playing after death. Karkat is helping her in the police department.

 

Gamzee was never found.

 

There are many things left unresolved, but is better to continue living and stop playing children’s games.

 

 

Scratch’s POV:

So this is how it feels to lose? Well, you never expected to be in this bloody condition in all your possible scenarios for this evening. Even saying it is bloody is a short description to being slashed, stabbed and chainsawed. You can even see some of your cutoff fingers being consumed by the flames. Damn kids and their stupid will power. You never understood what is with people need to go beyond their limits. Everything works perfectly and there’s no need for friendship or love. Then you remember…

Tick tock tick tock tick tock.

Then the time comes.

The clocks are marking the midnight with their echoing sounds, and all you can do is smile with the teeth you still have and laugh with blood pumping through your throat.

“Doctor, your last visit is here” the young handmaid says.

You watch from behind that little beauty a dark figure with color changing eyes.

“I want to play a game.” He then lifts his big golden peg leg over your face and…

“Game Over.”

**Author's Note:**

> Everything in this fanfiction is based from canon events, but I made something darker. Fans of the Intermission will love this story.


End file.
